The Diary of Jerrod Bently - J.W. Osborn (mobi ebook reader TXT) 📗

three times, then shouted to him in the Blackfoot language and he shot forward, clearing the fence like it wasn’t even there. “Guess you don’t need me to open the gate for you after all, Sam,” I said to myself as I headed the mare toward the open gate. Sam was already far ahead of me, with her golden collie keeping up. I gave Rose her head once we were out of the gate and soon we were gaining on Sam and the stud. It was like flying as we dashed across the fields outside of town, if there was a log in the way, the stud jumped it. I heard Sam holler, “Hang on, Jerrod!!” as we approached a fence that bordered the Double J Ranch. Side by side, we cleared the fence together. If I had any doubts that the accident had in anyway effected Sam’s love for that stallion or her ability to ride him I didn’t have them now. We dashed on, but Goldy had decided to leave us at the fence. He ran back and forth barking, and then turned and took off back toward town. Sam had never looked more beautiful than she did with her face flushed, and the wind in her long hair. She and that stud were a team and I could tell he was very happy to have her on his back again. I slowed Rose down to a lope, then a trot and watched Sam ride over the hill. I petted the mare’s neck “She did it, Rose,” I said. The mare snorted and let me know she was not ready to quit yet. We met Sam at the Double J.


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Everyone in town always knew when the circuit judge was in his chambers at the court house, because by 8:00 sharp, Jake Titus rode in, tied his mule to the hitching post outside and entered through the side door. It was the same every time, but today something was different. Jake Titus was wearing his gun. There were at least twenty different complaints and cases for Judge Douglas to hear and rule on. He grinned as he looked at the court docket. It seemed that his new sherrif was doing a fine job. There was an extradition to Texas, a complaint of drunk and disorderly, a second of the same nature, public intoxication, and assault. Then there was the matter of Doc’s report on the shooting of Tom Dalton by one Jerrod Adam Bently. He also noticed that with in the last week an official charge of murder had been leveled against the same man. It was going to be a very long day for both the judge and for Jake Titus. Jake was aware of it all and was confident that Jeb Vicker’s charges would be thrown out of court and Jerrod Bently would walk away a free man. But what little law there was in the territory had to stand, and in his saddle bags, Jake had all that he needed to assure that Jerrod would be cleared of all and any charges against him.

Doc woke up that morning uneasy. May be he sensed something evil in the wind. He was a man who had spent his younger years chasing Comanches and out laws with the Texas Rangers , and he’d learned to pay attention to gut feelings and hunches. It made Victoria nervous when he sat at the kitchen table, loaded one of his Colt and was cleaning his Forty Five. If he was wearing two guns, instead of his usual side arm, he was expecting trouble. Sometimes she wondered how many outlaws had faced those pearl handled guns and not lived to tell about it. She’d overheard Pede telling about how he’d never seen a man draw a gun so fast as Doc had the day he shot that pole cat. “Are you worried about the hearing this morning”, she asked as she added more bacon to the skillet that sizzled on her black iron stove.
“Don’t know, Honey,” he replied as he carefully loaded six bullets into the chamber of his second Navy Colt. “Best to be ready if anything goes wrong. Where is Sam?” She knew he was changing the subject to divert her attention.
“In her room.,” Victoria replied as she returned to the stove to see of the coffee pot was starting to boil. “She has been so happy these last few days since Jerrod has been here,” she added “But I will be glad very glad when this is all over.”
“No more than I will, Vic,” Doc replied , “She has to tell her side of the story before the judge today. I expect that Jerrod will be cleared of this ridiculous murder charge.”
“Vickers is in town.,” Victoria said as she removed her iron skillet from the hot stove. “And he has made no effort to keep it a secret.”
“I’ve seen him.,” Doc replied as he closed his gun and wiped it off with a rag. “He won’t make a move until things get settled. If he attempts to make good on his threats , I will have to do something about it.”
“Doc.,” Victoria said quietly as she reached for her husband’s hands. “He’s a gunman. You read what Jake found out about him and the man Jerrod killed. “I am worried.”
“Victoria.,” he said. “I have lived a long time and I have a past. You don’t have to worry.” She saw that look in his eyes, the one that told her he was not going to talk about it any longer. “Now go tell Sam it is time to get ready to go. I will meet you at the court house..”
“We will both be there,” his wife promised. “Do you want to go wake Jerrod?”
“Where is he?” Doc asked. .
“He’s been sleeping in the barn,” Victoria answered “I told the boy he was welcome to sleep on the settle in the parlor, but he said no.”
Doc holstered his guns, one on his hip and on at his side, one that would be hidden by his black duster when he pulled it on. He chuckled to himself as he reached for the long garment , hanging by the back door. “I never saw a man greener than that boy was when we started out,” he said as he pulled it over his shoulders and reached for his hat. “Things sure have changed.”
Victoria smiled at him as he started toward the door. “You are proud of him, aren’t you.,” she said.
“Sure am, Vic.,” Doc replied “He’s come a long way.”
“When do you think he will convince Sam to marry him? Before we leave for Texas.?”, she asked.
“Don’t know, Vic,” Doc replied “The boy is riding with me today.” As Doc walked across the back yard to the barn , he thought about what his wife had just said about going back to Texas. He loved her far too much to let her take that ride with him. He’d thought Sam would be all right with the cattle drive too, and she had nearly died as a result. No, Victoria would not be going with him and there would be no argument about it.

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Doc told me that I had nothing to be worried about as we rode into town. I’d made my peace with God and myself over the matter one day. When we arrived at the court house, Scrub Pot already there, sitting on a bench outside waiting for us. He greeted us as we tied our horses to the hitching rail. “Where is Sam?” he asked “We are supposed to be in there ten minutes ago,” he said.
“They are right behind us, Zachariah,” Doc replied “Any other guests arrive?” I caught the condescending tone in his voice.
“Inside,” the old man replied “and he came in wearing a gun.”
“Figured as much,” Doc muttered. He put his hand on my shoulder. “Come on Jerrod,” he said “Let’s get this over with. “ He then turned to Scrub Pot. “Is Titus here yet?”
“Since eight o’clock this morning,” the old man replied. As we walked through the front door of the court house, I heard a buggy pulling up. That had to be Sam and Victoria.
The room was half the size of the court house itself. Not fancy, and the only embellishment was the American flag on a standing staff, next to the rostrum The judge sat behind a dark wooden desk there, looking like he’d rather be somewhere else. As I read the look on the man’s face, I had to empathize with him. Jake Titus was at the front of the courtroom, papers in hand, talking in hushed tones to the judge. Douglas was his name, Mack Douglas, Doc told me. I believe I had been told that this was the same judge who swore Doc Stevens in as Sherrif while on his way to the church when he married Victoria several months back. At least I had not heard anything about him being dishonest or sentencing a man to hang because he was too lazy or over worked to hear all the evidence. I was counting on Jake Titus to have all of that in order.
We walked in quietly. There sitting on the right side of the room was Jeb Vickers, and the look he gave me said it all. I was not going to be intimidated, as I passed by him and the shabby looking saloon girl seated next to him. I glared back and they both quickly looked away. “Good”, I thought to myself. Everyone had had to check their guns at the door when we came in, so if Vickers was going to make good on his threat to kill me, he’d have to wait till we got outside. I think that may have been what Doc was waiting for, but he didn’t mention it as we sat down near the front of the room. I noticed that he was still wearing his guns. I